Tread Carefully My Friends

I had the chance to spend a few days fishing with a couple of friends on the Welsh Dee. It's a water I know well so I thought it's be a great place to try out these new Rock Treads. I'd had a shipment in and heard good things about them. I'm a rubber and studs man usually. We're talking the traction side of wading boots here. Context is everything.

You get everything you need in a box. I was sent an extra box for "testing" which I hugely appreciate. I was also assured that the "Felt" version would do just as well on rubber soled wading boots. I unscrewed the studs I had in. Which was pretty easy. Laid out how I wanted the pattern to look on my boot. there are examples at the Rock Treads website along with comprehensive installation instructions.

There is a comprehensive range of bolts or various lengths, a drill and even thread lock. the flanges on the "nuts", once installed, stand no chance of pulling through. There are a couple of extra long bolts. These are excellent at poking into the hole, locating the thread of the "nut" and then pulling them into place level with the sole of the shoe. Once you've selected the bolt that holds the disks firmly in place without poking out of the "nut" it's much quicker for subsequent disks in the same area. It took just over an hour to do both boots.

I was all set! Off I went to the Dee. I had a little time before meeting up with the lads so I made my way to CADAC (Corwin and District Angling Club) water. There is a particularly lovely piece of water there, The Chain Pool.

Where the water comes round the corner into the pool there is a pebbly bottom. the pebbles are about fist sized and often covered in algae. This combination has made for the occasional Torvill and Dean moment with extra expression in the waving of the arms for some very skilled anglers.

Perhaps there weren't so slippery today. I fished over the slime covered rocks without a foot wrong. I didn't see any fish apart from an occasional parr. I didn't see anything rising either. So a change of venue seemed like a good idea. Carrog is always a place where fish can be found.

Right at the top of the beat is a boulder field. On the far side is a large back eddie with the major flow concentrated into only a few meters of width. This back eddie is a classic swimming pool. The rounded, babies heads of boulders are glass smooth and covered in brown sludge. I've had my moments trying to fish this spot before now.

I set off across the boulders. The Rock Treads were not as noisy as I thought they would be. There were concerns that the metal on rock sounds, would clear a pool. It was a much deeper thud as they touched compared to the "ringing" sound that the, harder than rock, titanium (and similar) studs make on contact. Perhaps they won't be as much of an issue as some might have you believe.

I started fishing the deep waters. Second cast a large brownie slammed into my nymphs and began aerobatics in the fast current. Needless to say that hook didn't stay in. A couple of casts later and a lump of a grayling latched on. I saw it's flank just before it hoisted a beautiful red sail and went tearing off downstream making my reel scream. When it stopped it shook it's head twice and was off. I was muttering now. I'd totally forgotten about my feet and the treacherous bottom.

I swapped out the rubber hooks for a fresh set. Started the pool again and...

This brownie didn't get away. After a spirited fight she was in the net. Hardly a red spot on this fish but my blank for the day has been saved. I'm not really counting the little par.

Unfortunately that was it for the back eddie. I'd worked it pretty hard and I'm sure the lost fish will have spooked most of the other residents.

Plenty more water to go at. I headed downstream concentrating on the edges of the fast currents where they ran over deep water. I even managed to pick up a grayling.

After 6pm the fishing changed. Suddenly there were a lot more fish about. Grayling and trout came on to feed. There wasn't an "evening rise" as such but swapping to a skitting dry brought one fish after another.

Not the biggest fish in the world but they were welcome after the day started so poorly. Rather than head back to Llangollen I decided to have dinner at The Grouse Inn that overlooks the Dee. A fabulous place with excellent food if you're in the area. Then, of course, there is the view from the terrace.

I nearly forgot, I'm supposed to be reviewing these Rock Treads. I'd forgotten I was wearing them. The bottom didn't appear to be slippery at all. Perhaps it was just where I was trying. Another day was on the cards. this time with the lads.

Here they are. Simon Caddy and Paul Fairhurst, in the water at the "poo pipe", as it's affectionately known. Opposite the sewage works above Llangollen golf course. They were struggling to catch fish. I had one third cast.

Big enough to measure, just! That'll do. There was also the odd brownie about.

Again, not huge, but the number of par was crazy. You could hardly get a cast without one of the little devils attaching itself to the hook. We worked that water hard over a variety of bottom types from rocks to fine gravel. I only had my collapsible stick at my side. I didn't feel the urge to deploy it once.

All the way to the corner of the golf course. Simon was wondering if there was a fly in his box he hadn't tried. Paul was convinced he'd covered hundreds of fish but they just weren't "having it". Paul's phrase for the day "I just don't understand it!" . I'd had a few to measure but only because I was willing to catch par after par and amongst them was a better fish once in a while.

We had another day to go at it. Doll Issa was selected. I left the collapsible wading stick in the car. The full rabbit head, carbon fibre, weighted, wading stick was coming out. Doll Issa is a place that I have always had nightmares wading. Big rocks, slippery rocks and hard currents. The place is hideous for anyone that likes easy wading.

There are fish there though. Stick firmly in hand I braved the corner of the upper section. I stumbled and tripped over some of the larger rocks that, I swear, creep up on you. I dropped into the holes and jarred my back. What I didn't do was slip. My feet stayed where I put them. I was just unfortunate that moving from one place to another was such a trip hazard. I'm liking these rock treads.

Paul is wading hard without the aid of a stick. Youth is on his side. He's still to catch a fish though. Whereas I am finding fish here and there. Some of them are really lumps of fish compared to others so far seen.

Time was getting short for me. I caught one more fish, biggest of the trip and camera shy, for a total of 5. It flipped the net just before I pressed the shutter on the camera. That's fishing. As I made my way backup stream I caught up with Paul and as telling him about the flies I was using and the method. So overcome was he, he fell off the bank into the river with a right splash. Fortunately he didn't go under.

What I had been telling him was to let the flies hang just a little longer than normal. Most hits are on the dangle. At that point his line, that had been "on the hang" while he sorted himself out, went tight. He was into his first grayling of the day.

A fine specimen of a fish.

Yet, like mine, it had a few tricks and this was the best picture we got of her before she defiantly swam back into the current. The fishing had been hard. Good friends make even a hard days fishing worthwhile.

Now these aluminium disk thingies I drilled into my boots. Do I regret doing it? Not even slightly. I can't remember the last time I had stopped wondering what my feet were doing. Not once did I have a comedy moment due to poor footing. This is unheard of. Usually I'll have two or three a session. I can, without hesitation, recommend Rock Treads. Yes they do seem expensive, but absolutely worth it. What price can you put on safety? All my boots will have these in the future.